Preakness 2026: How Laurel Park became horse racing’s global stage
· Yahoo Sports
LAUREL, Md. — The odds are that Laurel Park will never see another big crowd as it hosts the Preakness Stakes on Saturday and then transitions into retirement as a training track.
Laurel opened in 1911 and, from its start, competed as a distant second to Pimlico in Maryland. Seabiscuit was trained at Laurel in 1938 before the big match race with War Admiral. For many years, Laurel was owned by James Butler, an Irish-born grocery magnate whose stores were second only to the A&P in New York City.
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In 1950, Baltimore business owner Morris Schapiro bought the Laurel track and gave it to his son, John D. Schapiro, to run.
This is where the Laurel story gets interesting.
Morris Schapiro was an American immigrant success story. He arrived in the country from Latvia in 1902 with little money and later salvaged bricks from the 1904 Baltimore fire. This led to owning a successful scrap-iron firm, and during Prohibition, he owned the Globe Brewery (Arrow beer) and a whiskey distillery.
He was permitted to brew a weak beer and full-strength whiskey for medical purposes, sold through a prescription. He prospered and by 1927 was living in a grand mansion overlooking Druid Lake.
Morris Schapiro bought the Laurel track at a time when Maryland was racing crazy, but Laurel, as a track, did not own a race that was in the same league as the Preakness.
Marketing people suggested that Laurel land a marquee event that would focus attention on what had been just another racetrack. At that time, its name was changed to Laurel Race Course.
John D. Schapiro, his son, made a gamble. What about a race that attracted owners of the leading thoroughbred horses of Europe?
In a brief announcement in The Sun in July 1952, John Schapiro announced there would be a turf (on the grass) race held at Laurel in the upcoming fall.
Schapiro came up with $50,000 in prize money and a stunning 25-pound silver-plated trophy resembling a globe to signify the international nature of the race.
By October, on the day before the contest, the paper’s headline stated, “International Race at Laurel Puts State in World Spotlight.”
All of a sudden, Laurel — built on land prone to flooding — was looking pretty splendid.
The race was named the Washington, D.C. International Stakes, and sought — and received — attention from the capital and other global destinations.
The first International included an entry from England.
“Since the invaders arrival on Tuesday, American horsemen had been inclined to ‘pooh pooh’ the Britishers and many times criticized the manner in which the horses were prepped for the race,” The Sun’s account said. “However, trainer John A. Waugh had the last laugh when his Wilwyn clipped six full seconds off the old track record of 2.36.”
“Undoubtedly the other tracks will attempt to have foreign horses come to these shores next season, but the International belongs to Laurel, Schapiro and Maryland,” this paper said.
A key to the International was its Washington, D.C., associations. The press landed on the story when Cold War Russia agreed to send a pair of horses in 1959. They lost — just as Landau, the horse that Queen Elizabeth II had sent in 1956, did.
Washington Post columnist Shirley Povich called Laurel “the world’s only race track with a diplomatic policy.”
Schapiro made sure his race established itself as a feature on the Washington, D.C., social calendar. A gala champagne reception at the French Embassy proved a far different experience than the Preakness’ Alibi Breakfast.
Schapiro and his wife, Eleanor Tydings Gillet Schapiro (the daughter of Sen. Millard E. Tydings and the sister of Sen. Joseph Tydings), spent a good deal of time promoting the race overseas.
“The International was a great innovation,” said Joseph “Joey” Gillet Davies, who trained the winner of the 2026 Maryland Hunt Cup (his 11th victory in that race as a jockey or trainer). “For 30 years, my mother and stepfather traveled around the world with hand-engraved invitations, and all expenses paid, to compete in a race with one of the biggest purses. The race was also a tool for the State Department to build on.
“They always stayed at the Ritz in Paris as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe race was being held and courted the owners and trainers who were gathered for that event. They sought the best horses from England, France, Ireland and Argentina — wherever.
“Back in Washington, there was an International Ball the night before the race. There were no losers that night. The race was the next day. We had Elizabeth Taylor, Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon and names like Gina Lollobrigida and Zsa Zsa Gabor. The International was a who’s who of politics, racing and Hollywood.”
John Schapiro sold his interest in Laurel in 1984 and other owners, including Frank J. DeFrancis, worked their promotional magic. When the International was last run in 1994, (a competitor, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, began that year) other racing events, such as the Maryland Million, had been established.
Laurel, always mentioned second after Pimlico, had a great run.